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Scripps graduate Joss Greene ‘11 visited the College on Nov. 14 to talk with current students about proposed changes to Scripps’ admissions policy regarding trans students.

The event was structured as a discussion; less a presentation of what one (or a few) individual alumni think, and more of a means of allowing current students’ voices to find a consensus of how the policy should be changed, as well as how that change will affect the culture, atmosphere and inclusivity of Scripps.

Scripps Associated Students (SAS) President Alex Frumkin ‘15 shared information from a petition for a change in Scripps’ policy. 580 students signed the petition saying they support a trans-inclusive admissions policy, with 88 per cent of the first year class signing.

Students at the discussion, however, expressed concerns over the manner in which the petition was administered; signatures were gathered in a door-to-door fashion, and the students argued that those being asked to sign did not have time to become educated enough on the nuances of the admissions policy. One student mentioned that she thought students may think back on the petition and realize they did not agree with what they signed because they did not necessarily take the time necessary to learn about it.

The petition called for an admissions policy that would accept anyone who is not cisgender male — one of the broader forms of a trans-inclusive admissions policy — even though it would mean Scripps admitting students who do not identify as female.

“Why are women’s colleges important?” Greene said. “[We must give] credit to women’s colleges according to a definition that’s more than a school full of women. Women’s colleges were founded because the way gender is structured in our society is profoundly unequal. There are stereotypes and expectations placed on people in disproportionate ways, and we want to have a space where people can come to understand what those are...and hopefully create this world with gender justice.”

Greene went on to say that the goal is to include trans people of any identification, noting that the current policy defines inclusivity based on womanhood, when in reality trans people of all genders face marginalization.